Tom Corless’ 1/12/16 Animal Kingdom Photo Report (AVATAR, Rivers of Lights, Riverside Depot, Where’s Dinosaur?, ETC.)

I recently visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom to check out the progress on all of the new projects in the park, so here are some newsworthy photos of what’s happening at Disney’s “wildest” theme park:

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The floating mountains of Pandora: The World of AVATAR visible from the parking lot

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Riverside Depot opened on Discovery Island recently

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New Monstro and Figment ceramic figures on sale

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Some of the little details in the store are really cool

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The store sells mostly pins, toys, home-goods, and smaller souvenirs

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What was the Art of Disney a few years ago is now just filled with toys, mostly Star Wars

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Disney Outfitters next door has now closed for remodeling

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SPOILER ALERT

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The construction walls for AVATAR don’t say anything, but at least they show something now

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Work continues on Tiffins on the backside of Pizzafari

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The spotted dogs are now out on Kilimanjaro Safaris

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They were very active, running around and being playful

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Construction continues on Rivers of Light, debuting this spring

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Here we see moving lights with waterproof domes have been installed

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The Thirsty River Bar opened recently, replacing the old FastPass distribution for Everest

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The bar serves a number of pre-made food and drink items

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My camera didn’t want to focus for some reason…

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Lots of stickers decorate the bar

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The Ole Elephant Foot IPA was quite good

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The Himalayan Ghost was nothing special, had very little flavor

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The Khumbu Icefall might be my new favorite drink at Disney World. Very sweet and just the right amount of alcohol, not bad for pre-made.

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I also got one of the pre-packaged turkey sandwiches…

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It was cut in half the wrong way and barely stayed together, but it was good. Why was I in Dino-Rama? Because there is nowhere to sit and eat and drink at the Thirsty River Bar…

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It’s still Christmas here…

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Guests apparently are having a hard time finding Dinosaur, there are several of these signs up in Dinoland

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The speakers for the Rivers of Light seating area are being installed now

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Peep holes were put in the construction walls, yet the walls still don’t tell guests what is coming…

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Not sure if this is new, but all of the food stands on Discovery Island were named and received menu updates at some point…

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With Disney Outfitters gone, Island Mercantile is now selling just apparel

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The store’s selection has been pretty much the same since 1998, so this is a bit of an adjustment

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We have to wonder what exactly will happen to Disney Outfitters during the remodel if all of their merchandise is now here.

Shanghai Disneyland Finally Sets Opening Date

Shanghai Disneyland will finally open on June 16th, 2016, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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It is unclear what of the already announced attractions will be ready by then, but inside sources have suggested it will open in phases with more attractions coming on line through the end of 2016 and into next year. No official word from Disney has been made as of yet.

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PHOTO REPORT: Disneyland Park 1/13/15 (Rivers of America Closed, Train Experience, TV Special Filming Paint the Night, ETC.)

It has been far too long since we have had a photo report from the Disneyland Resort (in-fact the last one was December 2014), luckily Disneyland Reporter Tim Alcoser has returned to WDWNT to once again bring us the latest from the Happiest Place on Earth. 2016 is going to be a year of major changes here at WDWNT, and bringing back regular coverage of the Disneyland Resort will be among the many new offerings we have planned for thsi year. Without any further delay, welcome back to Disneyland:

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“You can’t bring Selfie Sticks, but we actually have discount tickets now…”

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Off to Disneyland!

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Metal detectors are here too

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The Diamond Celebration rolls on through September 2016 at the Disneyland Resort

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The Rivers of America closed on Sunday so that work could finally begin on the Star Wars-themed land for the park

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The Columbia is stationary, but entertainment is being offered on the ship and you can explore it all you like

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Tiana was greeting guests by the petrified tree, rumor has it she will be aboard the dry-docked Mark Twain for a dining experience soon

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While the Disneyland Railroad is closed for Star Wars construction, you can hop aboard at Main Street or New Orleans Square stations and check out the trains and talk with an engineer

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We have a video tour of the Ernest S. Marsh, which is parked at the New Orleans Square Station for you:

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Haunted Mansion Holiday is closed for the season and Haunted Mansion returns later this month

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The Explorer Canoes are closed until 2017, if they return…

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A quiet Rivers of America, as it will be until 2017

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If you feel the need to ride on water, Splash Mountain is still open

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And you never know, Tim might end up in the back of your photos…

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Big Thunder Ranch is closed too, but this closure is permanent. The back path around Big Thunder should close very soon to accommodate construction.

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Hopefully this Big Thunder photo-op will make the move instead of getting scrapped

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Season of the Force in full swing in Tomorrowland

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Path of the Jedi is the same clipo show you can see at Hollywood Studios

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One thing you cant see at Walt Disney World: Hyperspace Mountain

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And Marvel Super Hero HQ for that matter, now in the upper level of what was Innoventions

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Star Wars Launch Bay occupies the downstairs

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It’s been a long time since we’ve visited, so let’s stop and take in the Disneyland Forever fireworks

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The fireworks were displayed early to accommodate filming of the Disneyland 60th TV special that will air in February

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You still have some time to experience “it’s a small world” Holiday, open until January 25th

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Guests filled Main Street to see some castmembers from Dancing with the Stars perform alongside the Paint the Night Parade

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Those girls had to be cold…

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Tim also took some video of the filming, a full musical number concluding with fireworks above Sleeping Beauty Castle:

If you enjoyed this photo report from the Disneyland Resort and want to see more, let us know!

Welcome back Tim!

Nine Dragons at Epcot Introducing New Menu and Prix-Fixe Lunch

Nine Dragons at Epcot is shaking up their menu for the “Year of the Monkey”, heralding the first major menu changes for the restaurant since it reopened in September 2008.

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New to the menu are Chinese “Burgers”, featuring braised pork belly, sweet and sour fish, and general Tso’s chicken on steamed buns.

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The new prix-fixe lunch special features appetizer, entree, and dessert for $17.98 per person. The full menu was not available at the time of this announcement but should be available soon.

BREAKING: Closing Date Announced for Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show

The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will close April 2nd, 2016.

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The closure is to accommodate the construction of the Star Wars-themed land for the park. Other nearby establishments will be closing on April 2nd as well, but Disney has made no official announcement on exactly what else will shutter that day as of yet.

BREAKING: The Earful Tower at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to be Removed

The Earful Tower, one of the long-standing icons of Disney’s Hollywood Studios dating back to 1989, will be removed in the coming weeks.

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The area near the Earful Tower is going to become Toy Story Land, meaning the tower would be “visually intrusive” to the story of the land where guests are shrunken to the size of a toy.

Disney has not announced if they will move the Earful Tower, but they have officially stated that it will be removed soon.

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Playground and Several Other Studios Attractions Also Close 4/2/16

It has been a fairly rough day for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but besides the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and the Earful Tower, several other park mainstays will be leaving us on April 2nd as well.

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Among the offerings closing will be the “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” Movie Set Adventure, the Monsters Inc. meet and greet, Studio Catering Co., High Octane Refreshment, Youse Guys Moychindise, the Streets of America, the Prop Shop, The Writer’s Stop, and Watto’s Grotto (formerly AFI Showcase).

Disney today claimed the entire expansion, including both the Star Wars-themed land and Toy Story Land and whatever else the park may add will encompass 25 total acres. In order to make room for all of that, it is now official that everything north of the Great Movie Ride between Muppetvision 3-D (which Disney has now confirmed to be safe) and Toy Story Midway Mania will be bulldozed.

Kylo Ren Meet and Greet to Replace Darth Vader in February 2016 at Disney Parks

If you are planning to meet Darth Vader, you had better do so soon… for your sake.

Kylo Ren will begin meeting guests at Star Wars Launch Bay at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland Park in February 2016, replacing Lord Vader. Chewbacca will continue to be offered on the light side for meet and greet opportunities. No word was given on who will meet guests waiting in the special Disney VISA card experience come next month.

RUMOR: Is the Disney Springs Water Tower Actually the Earful Tower?

Disney has remained quiet about the removal of the Earful Tower at Disney’s Hollywood Studios after we broke the news yesterday, but maybe there’s a good reason for that…

Construction is currently wrapping up on the Town Center area of Disney Springs, but one structure from the concept art that we still haven’t see rise upon the site is the water tower bearing the Disney Springs name. Now, this could all be a big coincidence, but it does seem a bit odd that as Disney is about to build a new water tower, another one that has stood for 27 years is coming down. Based on the amount of recycling we’ve seen from Walt Disney Imagineering the last few years with larger props from extinct attractions, I can imagine a scenario where the Disney Springs water tower is built from the remains of the Earful Tower.

I guess we will just have to wait to find out…